Picture display device with associated audio message

ABSTRACT

A picture frame and accompanying audio message circuit is provided such that one or more desired audio messages stored in the audio message circuit associated with one or more display pictures can be played upon the touching of the pictures or the frame, or in response to a voice recognition device sensing an audio command associated with the particular audio message and/or pictures. When audio message playback is desired, a switch on the frame or under a protective cover for the picture is activated by touching, or a position sensitive device may be used to sense whether a particular position on the picture has been touched. Digital or analog information representing the desired audio message is retrieved from a memory device, which is subsequently transmitted to a speaker which produces the desired audio message perceptible to a human. In other embodiments, multiple picture and multiple messages are provided such that the user can touch a particular picture, or the switch associated with that picture, and an audio message corresponding to the picture is then played through the speaker. In still other embodiments, a system is provided with a plurality of pictures mounted in the perimeter faces of a cube or other geometrical shape, each picture having associated with it a switch for activating a message or plurality of messages. In still other embodiments, a position sensitive device or a voice recognition device is utilized to initiate audio message playback.

[0001] This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/782,921, filedFeb. 13, 2001, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.09/399,127, filed Sep. 20, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,310, which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 08/788,625, filed Jan. 24, 1997,now U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,682, which is a continuation-in-part ofapplication Ser. No. 08/617,708, filed Apr. 1, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No.6,185,851, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.08/121,955, filed Sep. 15, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,836, which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 07/711,153, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to pictures and audio messages andmore particularly to a picture frame with an audio message circuit inwhich one or more audio messages associated with displayed picture(s)are played upon touching the picture(s) or the frame, or in response totouching of a position sensitive device.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] It is known to display pictures such as photographs of familymembers or momentous occasions or the like inside of a frame. The frametypically enhances the aesthetics of the displayed picture, providesprotection for the picture and/or provides a suitable means for mountingor displaying the picture. Such ordinary frames, however, present astill picture only and do not have an audio message circuit as a part ofthe frame by which an audio message associated with the displayedpicture is played upon touching the picture or the frame.

[0006] It is also known in the art to have greeting cards or the likesuch that when the greeting card is opened, prerecorded tonal music isplayed. Such prior art devices, however, do not provide a frame for thedisplay of desired pictures, and further do not allow for an arbitraryaudio message or messages such as the voice of a user to be activatedwhen desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention overcomes the disadvantages and limitationsof the prior art by providing a picture frame and accompanying audiomessage circuit such that one or more desired audio messages associatedwith one or more displayed pictures can be played upon the touching ofthe pictures or the frame. The present invention is particularly suitedfor integrated and low cost construction such that a picture frame withassociated audio message capabilities is provided for displayingmomentous or family photographs or for educational purposes.

[0008] When audio message playback is desired, a switch on the frame orunder a protective cover for the picture (called a “plate” herein) isactivated by touching. Under CPU control, digital informationrepresenting the desired audio message is retrieved from a memorydevice, which is subsequently converted to an analog signal andtransmitted to a speaker which produces the desired audio messageperceptible to a human. In other embodiments, multiple pictures andmultiple messages are provided such that the user can touch a particularpicture, or the switch associated with that picture, and an audiomessage corresponding to that picture is then played through thespeaker.

[0009] In still other embodiments, a system is provided such that animage is captured electronically through a camera or the like. Theelectronic information representing the picture, and associatedelectronic information representing the audio message, is thentransmitted over a suitable transmission medium such that it is remotelyreceived. On the receiving end, a still picture is produced forinsertion into the picture frame, and the received audio message isinput into a voice message circuit. With these embodiments, the pictureframe and voice message circuit of the present invention can be producedremotely from the origin of the picture and the audio message. Suchembodiments have application, for example, for the remote delivery of acommemorative picture and message such as to a sick relative located ina far off location. All of this is accomplished in the prevent inventionwith an integrated and low cost construction, providing advantages notpresent in the prior art devices.

[0010] In still other embodiments, the frame may be formed as ageometric shape, with pictures positioned in various faces of thegeometric shape, with playback of a partcular message or messagesassociated with a picture positioned in a particular face initiated bytouching of the particular picture/face. In still other embodiments, aposition sensitive device, such as a touch screen is included in orderto provide particular messages to be associated and stored at particularpositions with respect to the displayed picture.

[0011] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to providea picture frame with an audio message circuit in which one or more audiomessages associated with a displayed picture are played upon thetouching of the picture or the frame.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a pictureframe with multiple pictures, with multiple audio messages associatedwith each of the displayed pictures, such that a user can initiateplayback of an audio message associated with a particular picture byactivating a switch associated with that particular picture.

[0013] It is another object of the present invention to provide apicture frame that can play an audio message with the audio message inthe voice of a desired person.

[0014] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide apicture frame in which the audio message is programmable by the user.

[0015] It is still another object of the present invention to provide apicture frame in which the audio messages are stored under CPU controlsuch that the audio message playback can be initiated by touchingswitches on the frame or a switch associated with the picture itself. Itis an object of this invention to provide a system for providing thepicture to be inserted in the frame and the audio message to be storedin the audio message circuit remotely from the point at which thepicture and audio message are generated.

[0016] Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide sucha picture frame in form of a geometric shape, or a picture frameincorporating a position sensitive device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017]FIG. 1A is an illustration of a single picture embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0018]FIG. 1B is an illustration of a multi-picture embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0019]FIG. 2 is a diagram of an embodiment of the audio message circuitof the present invention.

[0020]FIG. 3 is a diagram of another embodiment of the audio messagecircuit of the present invention.

[0021]FIG. 4 is a diagram of an embodiment of the remotetransmit/receive circuit of the present invention.

[0022]FIG. 5 is diagram illustrating a multi-picture embodiment of thepresent invention in which the frame is of a geometric shape such as acube.

[0023]FIG. 6 is a diagram of another embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0024]FIG. 7 is a diagram of an embodiment with a picture (or pluralityof pictures) positioned behind a transparent touch screen, as anexemplary position sensitive device.

[0025]FIG. 8 is a diagram of an exemplary transparent touch screenposition sensitive device that may be used in certain embodiments of thepresent invention.

[0026]FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of electronicsutilizing a touch screen type of position sensitive device in accordancewith the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] With reference to the figures, the preferred and alternateembodiments of the present invention will now be described. Although thepresent invention will be described in terms of pictures or photographs,it should be understood that any fixed object from which a visual imagecan be perceived, such as sketches, drawings, lettering or the like, oractual objects in a suitable enclosure such as to be framed, also can beutilized with the present invention. Similarly, while the presentinvention will be described in terms of audio messages such as ordinaryhuman speech, it should be understood that any audio information, suchas music, animal or wildlife noises or the like also can be utilizedwith the present invention.

[0028]FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate two embodiments of the presentinvention. FIG. 1A illustrates picture 2, which can be any fixed imagesuch as a still picture or portrait of a person, inside of frame 8.Picture 2 is affixed to or contained in frame 8 in any suitable way,such as by inserting in grooves or slots (not explicitly shown) in therear of frame 8 (such as in ordinary picture frames), or may be affixedby way of adhesives or by mounting a retainer plate (not explicitlyshown) with screws or the like to frame 8 with picture 2 containedbetween the retainer plate and frame 8. Picture 2 is covered by plate 4,which can be any transparent covering, either rigid or flexible, and inthe preferred embodiment is glass or plastic. Plate 4 is affixed toframe 8 in any suitable way much as with picture 2 described above.

[0029] Attached to frame 8 is speaker 14, from which audio messages aretransmitted. The playing of audio messages is initiated by activation ofone or more switches 9, which can be located at suitable location(s)around the periphery of frame 8. Switches 9 can be located at otherlocations on frame 8, such as on the top or bottom of frame 8 (iflocated on the bottom of frame 8, switch 9 may have a spring offset sothat the weight of frame 8 itself does not activate the switch) or onthe rear of frame 8. What is important is that a user of the device havea mechanism to initiate playback of audio messages. As indicated bysensor switch 6, the audio message playback initiation also may beaccomplished by way of a sensor or switch attached to, or part of plate4. Sensor switch 6 can be any suitable mechanism, such as a capacitiveor membrane switch located under plate 4 or near the periphery of frame8 so as to be unnoticeable to the user. In such embodiments, audiomessage playback is initiated by the user directly touching plate 4,which activates sensor switch 6.

[0030] In certain embodiments, frame 8 also includes microphone 12,which can be any suitable device for transducing incoming audioinformation (such as a human voice) into electrical signals forsubsequent processing and storage (see discussion of FIG. 2 below).Microphone 12 provides easy user programmability of the audio messagesto be replayed, and in particular programmability of the audio messagesin the voice of the user or some other desired person. In otherembodiments, microphone 12 is not provided, and the audio messages areprovided by the manufacturer or supplier of the unit, although even inthese embodiments the audio message may be the voice of the user or someother desired person or thing.

[0031] In another embodiment, the audio message circuit containsmultiple messages associated with the displayed picture, with playbackof the multiple messages initiated by multiple activations of the sensoror other switch (i.e., multiple message scrolling with multiple switchactivations, etc.).

[0032] With reference to FIG. 1B, another embodiment of the presentinvention will be described. FIG. 1B illustrates frame 22 containingmultiple pictures 20. The embodiment of FIG. 1B also includes multipleaudio messages such that one or more messages correspond with each ofthe displayed pictures (in certain embodiments, multiple messages may bescrolled with multiple switch activations, as described above withreference to FIG. 1A). As discussed below, a mechanism is provided forthe user to initiate audio message playback of the particular message(s)associated with particular pictures. For example, one picture may be apicture of the user's mother, with the audio message associated withthat picture being the mother's voice, while another picture may be apicture of the user's father, with the audio message associated withthat picture being the father's voice. The user, such as a child, cantouch the picture of the mother (or a switch near the picture of themother) and hear a message in the mother's voice, and similarly with thepicture of the father.

[0033] More generally, pictures of a number of persons can be includedin the embodiment of FIG. 1B, with specific audio messages associatedwith each of the persons. In another specific embodiment, the picturesare of selected animals, with the audio messages being informationregarding those animals, or wildlife sounds made by the animalsthemselves. Many other combinations of pictures and audio messages canbe utilized in the present invention; the choices are limited only bythe imagination of the user.

[0034] In FIG. 1B, pictures 20 are covered by multiple plates or asingle plate (not explicitly shown, but such plate(s) are similar toplate 4 of FIG. 1A). Pictures 20 and the plate(s) are affixed to frame22 in any suitable way, much as was described with respect to picture 2,plate 4 and frame 8 of FIG. 1A. Mounted on frame 22 is speaker 28 and,in certain embodiments, microphone 25. Attached to frame 22 are multipleswitches 26 associated with pictures 20. Audio message playback of aparticular message associated with a particular picture 20 is initiatedby touching one of switches 26 associated with the particular picture.As discussed with respect to FIG. 1A, in alternate embodiments the audiomessage playback is initiated by way of a sensor switch attached to theplate(s) covering pictures 20 (similar to plate 4 and sensor switch 6 ofFIG. 1A). In such embodiments, audio message playback of a particularmessage associated with a particular picture 20 is initiated by directlytouching the plate covering that particular picture 20, therebyactivating the sensor switch (again, similar to sensor switch 6 of FIG.1A).

[0035] Referring now to FIG. 2, an audio message circuit for use in anembodiment of the present invention will be described. Microphone 34receives audio information (such as a desired voice message of a user ora desired person or thing) and converts the audio information intoelectrical signals which are input to analog to digital converter(“ADC”) 38. The digital output of ADC 38 is input to CPU 30 forsubsequent processing and storage in memory 32. CPU is programmed toprovide monitoring of switch inputs 56 and/or switch multiplexer 58,overall circuit coordination and control, and, in the preferredembodiment, compression and expansion of the stored audio message usingknown compression/expansion techniques. CPU 30 can be any suitablemicroprocessor or digital processing unit.

[0036] Memory 32 can be dynamic or static random access memory (“RAM”)(with or without separate battery back-up), read only memory (“ROM”),programmable read only memory, either UV or electrically erasable, ornon-erasable (“PROM”), or one time programmable memory (“OTP”) (acertain type of PROM that is field programmable but only one time),optical disks, memory cards, serial memory (such as bubble memory) orany other suitable device for storing digital information.

[0037] For audio message playback, under the control of CPU 30, digitalinformation representing the audio message is output from memory 32 todigital to analog converter (“DAC”) 40 over the bus connected to CPU 30and memory 32. The analog signal output of DAC 40 is connected toamplifier 35, the output of which is connected to speaker 36. Speaker 36converts the output of amplifier 35 into audio waves perceptible to ahuman listener. Depending on the desired sound quality, DAC 40 oramplifier 35 may include conventional filtering circuitry forelimination of circuit noise or the like. In alternative embodiments,the output of DAC 40 also is connected to buffer/amplifier 62 which isconnected to auxiliary output 64. By use of auxiliary output 64, thepresent invention may be utilized with a separate external speaker, orthe audio messages may be recorded on an external storage device such asa tape recorder (not shown) for purposes of archiving the voice messageor the like.

[0038] CPU 30 receives control information from control signal input 54and switch inputs 56. In certain embodiments, switch inputs 56 arereceived from switch multiplexer 58. Inputs to switch multiplexer 58include connections from the audio message initiation switches, such asswitches 9 or sensor switch 6 of FIG. 1A or switches 26 of FIG. 1B. Inresponse to activation of switches 9 or 26, or sensor switch 6, signalson switch inputs 56 (either directly or through a multiplexer such asmultiplexer 58) cause CPU 30 to initiate audio message playback throughspeaker 36.

[0039] In certain embodiments, the audio message to be played back isalready in digital form, and thus may be input to CPU 30 by port 52.Port 52 may be any suitable input-output device, serial or parallel,useful for interfacing a CPU to an external digital device. Digitalaudio information received from port 52 is sent to CPU 30 for processingand storage in memory 32, and for subsequent playback through DAC 40,amplifier 35 and speaker 36. Control of digital information through port52 may be made by way of control signals 54 in a conventional manner.

[0040] Electrical power for the components illustrated in FIG. 2 isprovided by power supply 46 over power terminals 44. In the preferredembodiment, power supply 46 is a battery. In other embodiments, powersupply 46 is connected to AC power supply 42, which in the preferredembodiment is an ordinary household AC voltage line. In suchembodiments, power supply 46 includes circuitry to convert the ACvoltage to a suitable DC voltage. In still other embodiments, powersupply 46 includes a rechargeable battery, and AC supply 42 suppliescurrent for recharging the battery within power supply 46.

[0041] In still other embodiments, power supply 46 has connected to it acircuit for detection and indication of a low battery condition, such asby way of low battery circuit 48. Low battery circuit 48, by way ofcontrol line 50, can provide control information to CPU 30 for purposesof, for example, ensuring that the batteries are not completelydischarged. In certain embodiments, such as those including a RAMdevice, upon response from a control signal from low battery circuit 48,CPU 30 disables message playback to conserve the battery charge so as toensure that the information contained in the RAM is preserved. In otherembodiments an indication that the batteries need to be changed orcharged is provided to the user by an indicator such as an LED or light(not explicitly shown) in low battery circuit 48.

[0042] In the preferred embodiment, the circuit of FIG. 2 is providedwith on-off switch 60 such that message playback can be disabled. Forexample, if the present invention must be transported in a box orsuitcase or the like, on-off switch 60 provides a convenient means forensuring that playback is not initiated by inadvertent touching ofswitches 9 or sensor switch 6, avoiding problems such as undesired audiomessage playback and battery discharge. With reference to FIGS. 1A and1B, on-off switch 60 can be located in an unobtrusive location such ason the rear of frame 8 or 22.

[0043] For illustrative purposes, FIG. 2 also shows a fractional view ofthe embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, with the dashed lines indicatinggeneral correspondence between the circuit elements of FIG. 2 and theelements shown on frame 8 of FIG. 1A. As indicated, microphone 34 ofFIG. 2 corresponds to microphone 12 of FIG. 1A; speaker 36 of FIG. 2corresponds to speaker 14 of FIG. 1A; and switch input 56 of FIG. 2(either directly or through multiplexer 58) corresponds to, for exampleswitches 9 of FIG. 1A (and also sensor switch 6 of FIG. 1A). Similarcorrespondence could be drawn between elements of FIG. 1B and FIG. 2.

[0044] Referring now to FIG. 3, another embodiment of an audio messagecircuit for use in the present invention will be discussed. Storagecircuit 100 contains digital information representing an audio messageto be played back, either in compressed or uncompressed form (ifcompressed, storage circuit 100 also contains a suitable circuit forexpansion of the audio message). Digital information is input to storagecircuit 100 in the course of manufacturing storage circuit 100 (such asa mask layer PLA or a programmed read only memory device) or may beinput by way of port 108 (in the event storage circuit 100 includes, forexample, a writable random access memory device or a programmable readonly memory device), under control of control input 109. In otherembodiments, storage circuit 100 is externally programmed before it isinserted into the circuit shown in FIG. 3. Power supply 110 over powerterminals 112 provides power to the circuit elements of FIG. 3 in amanner similar to that of power supply 46 discussed in reference to FIG.2. In other embodiments, storage circuit 100 is a CPU and memory, suchas CPU 30 and memory 32 of FIG. 2.

[0045] Message playback from storage circuit 100 is initiated by switch110. Switch 110 may be, for example, switches 9 or sensor switch 6 ofFIG. 1A or switches 26 of FIG. 1B. Under control of counting/clockingcircuit 102, digital information is received from storage circuit 100,input into DAC 104, with the resulting audio signals applied toamplifier 105, the output of which is connected to speaker 106, by whichthe audio message is played.

[0046] While the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 store theaudio message in digital form, in other embodiments, the audio messageis stored in analog form such as on a magnetic tape, phonographrecording(s) or the like.

[0047] In still other embodiments of the present invention, lightactivation of audio message playback is provided. Light sensor 10 ofFIG. 1A and light sensor 24 of FIG. 1B generate control signals inresponse to receiving light that exceeds a threshold intensity. Inresponse to this control signal, which can be input to CPU 30 by way ofswitch inputs 56 (for example), audio message playback is initiated byCPU 30. In these embodiments, a special message can be played inresponse to light activation (such as a “good morning” message) asopposed to a possibly different message played in response to switchactivation.

[0048] With reference to FIG. 4, a system and method for remotelytransmitting pictures and audio messages for use in the presentinvention will now be described. Camera 72 electronically captures asuitable image, such as an image of person 70. Analog information fromcamera 72 is input to video frame store 76. Video frame store 76 can beany of a number of conventional devices for receiving the output of avideo camera and producing an electrical representation (in thepreferred embodiment digital) of a particular frame of the video imageproduced by the video camera. Under control of CPU 80, digitalinformation output from video frame store 76, representing the desiredpicture or image information, is stored in memory 82. As with memory 32of FIG. 2, memory 82 may be any suitable memory or digital storagedevice. In other embodiments, the desired picture already exists, and inlieu of camera 72, an electrical representation of the picture isproduced by a conventional scanning device, the output of which iscoupled to CPU 80.

[0049] The desired audio message is input to microphone 74, the analogoutput of which is input to ADC 78. Under control of CPU 80, the digitaloutput of ADC 78 representing the desired audio message is stored inmemory 82.

[0050] Under control of CPU 80, digital information representing theaudio message and desired picture is retrieved from memory 82 andtransmitted to transceiver 84A. Transceiver 84A transmits this digitalinformation over transmission link 85 where it is subsequently receivedby transceiver 84B. Transceiver 84A and 84B and transmission link 85 maybe any suitable combination of devices and media such that digitalinformation may be transmitted from one point to a remote location. Inthe preferred embodiment, transceivers 84A and 84B are conventionalmodems, and transmission medium 85 is an ordinary phoneline. Also in thepreferred embodiment, CPU 80 and CPU 86 perform coordinated errorchecking and correction in a conventional manner to ensure the integrityof the transmitted digital information. In other embodiments, high speeddigital and/or analog transmit and receive devices are used oversuitable media, such as dedicated phone lines, dedicated data lines,satellite links and the like.

[0051] The information received from transceiver 84B is stored in memory88 under control of CPU 86. Also under control of CPU 86, digitalinformation representing a desired picture or image (such as a pictureof person 70) is transmitted to video frame store 92. Video frame store92 may be any conventional device which produces an output suitable forinput to printer 93. Printer 93 produces a hard copy form of the pictureof the desired quality. Printer 93 can be a traditional photo generatingdevice, hard copy video printer or a high quality inkjet graphicsprinter or the like. The output of printer 93 is a hard copy picture,such as picture 94.

[0052] Picture 94 may be then utilized such as picture 2 in FIG. 1A orone of pictures 20 of FIG. 1B. Under the control of CPU 86, digitalinformation representing the audio message can be output from port 90 toa suitable storage device. Such a storage device can be memory 32 (undercontrol of CPU 30) of FIG. 2, or it can be storage circuit 100 of FIG.3. Audio message playback can then be initiated as discussed withrespect to FIGS. 1A, 1B, FIG. 2 and 3. For use with the embodiment ofFIG. 1B, multiple pictures and multiple audio messages are transmittedand received using the circuit of FIG. 4.

[0053] CPU 80 and CPU 86 are illustrated in FIG. 4 electricallyconnected to other circuit elements by way of separate wires or buses.In other embodiments CPU 80 and CPU 86 are electrically connected toother circuit elements by way of a single bus similar to CPU 30 of FIG.2.

[0054]FIG. 5 illustrates yet another embodiment of the presentinvention. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the present invention may beimplemented in the form of a geometric shape, such as cube 200, withmultiple faces 210 that may hold one or more pictures, such as picture220. Cube 200 may be mounted on pedestal 250, although in otherembodiments pedestal 250 is not provided. Under pedestal 250 is locatedmicrophone 230, which is optimally provided close to the surface onwhich the cube rests. It has been discovered that such microphonepositioning can provide desirable recording characteristics in suchembodiments. Speaker 240 in the illustrated embodiment is located withinthe top face of cube 200, although in other embodiments speaker 240 maybe built within pedestal 250.

[0055] In the preferred implementation of this embodiment, multiplefaces are provided in the geometrically shaped frame, and multiplemessages are included in the audio message circuit, with one or moremessages associated with each picture/face of the geometric shape. Touchsensitive or sensor switches are located correspondingly with eachpicture/face of the geometric shape, so that audio message playback of amessage associated with a particular picture/face of the geometric shapemay be initiated by directly touching that picture or face. In otherembodiments, non-sensor switches (such as switches 26 of FIG. 1B) areused instead of sensor switches. As with other embodiments describedherein, multiple messages may be associated with a single picture/faceof the geometric shape, with playback of the multiple messages initiatedby multiple activations of the corresponding switch (i.e., multiplemessage scrolling with multiple switch activations, etc.).

[0056] In such embodiments, the control electronics and other elementsof the audio message circuit and related components such as the speaker,microphone and battery, etc., may be conveniently positioned within theinterior of the cube or other geometric shape.

[0057] In yet other embodiments, one face of the geometric shape (e.g.,the top face) may contain a clock having an alarm function. In suchembodiments, the alarm time may cause initiation of message playback,which may be a message particularly corresponding to a particularpicture or the clock alarm. Such a clock and alarm may be readilyimplemented in a variety of ways by one of skill in the art.

[0058] Electronics that may be used for alternate embodiments areillustrated in FIG. 6. Such embodiments utilize a Direct Analog StorageTechnology (DAST) device (300) such as that manufactured by InformationStorage Devices for recording, storing and subsequently playing therecorded messages. The DAST can store up to 20 seconds worth of audiomessages that can be played as one 20 second message or that can bedivided into a plurality of shorter messages. DASTs can also (not shown)be cascaded to provide up to one minute of record/play time. In otherembodiments, different message lengths are utilized.

[0059] A plurality of switches 310 are input into digital multiplexingcircuitry 360 that converts the switch inputs into an address forselecting the start address of DAST 300. Each picture may have oneswitch associated with it. When the user wishes to hear a message for aparticular picture the user touches the picture (which may be a sensorswitch) or the other switch associated with the picture. Digitalmultiplexing circuitry 360 decodes the switch input and provides anaddress to DAST 300 and also provides the corresponding control signalsto DAST 300 to cause it to play a particular pre-recorded message. Theaudio is played through speaker 330. Power to DAST 300 is provided bybattery 350, or can alternately be provided by a low voltage DC powersupply.

[0060] When a user wishes to record a message play/record switch 320 isplaced to the record position. The user then touches the picture orpicture switch associated with a picture and speaks into microphone 340.Digital multiplexing circuitry 360 decodes the picture switch selectedand provides an address to DAST 300 and provides the control signalssignaling DAST 300 to record a message. When the message is complete,play/record switch 320 is returned to the play position. A plurality ofmessages associated with either a plurality of pictures or a pluralityof messages for one picture can be recorded utilizing the aboveprocedure.

[0061] Other embodiments of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to FIGS. 7-9. In such alternative embodiments, thepicture frame may include a position sensitive device, which may be usedto advantageously record and playback audio messages in accordance withthe present invention.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 7, a picture (or pictures) may be positionedbehind transparent touch screen 404, as an exemplary position sensitivedevice. Touch screen 404 and picture 402) may positioned inside (or as apart of) frame 400 as illustrated.

[0063] As illustrated in FIG. 8, touch screen 404 may be, for example,of conventional resistive design and sensitive to pressure and position.It may be constructed of two layers of transparent resistive material,each having rectangular areas 406 connected by thin conductive strips.In this exemplary embodiment, one layer has horizontally connectedstrips 408 (the ‘X’ layer), the other layer (the ‘Y’ layer) hasvertically connected strips (not specifically shown). The two layers arephysically separated from each other by a transparent material (notshown) containing a matrix or other pattern of holes, which serves tohold the two layers apart from one another until pressure is applied tothe touch screen. When pressure is applied, such as from a finger, Ohmiccontact will be made on one or more of the pairs of rectangular areas406, where the pairs of areas are the areas formed on the ‘X’ layer and‘Y’ layer, respectively. The position of the finger is determined bydetermining which rectangular area pair is making Ohmic contact. Thismay be done in a conventional matrix switch manner by applying a voltageto each of the ‘X’ inputs 412 sequentially and measuring a current (orvoltage) on each of the ‘Y’ inputs 414. If a voltage is detected on anyof the ‘Y’ inputs when a voltage is applied to any of the ‘X’ inputs,then the location of the finger can be determined. Note that the layersof touch screen 404 can be reversed. Voltage may be applied either tothe ‘X’ layer or to the ‘Y’ layer and measured on the opposite layer.Thus, the signal lines for both the ‘X’ layer and ‘Y’ layer are labeledas inputs, even though one or the other layer typically will serve as anoutput. Additionally, although FIG. 8 illustrates 16 rectangular contactareas, more or fewer areas may be utilized in touch screen 404. Theareas also need not be rectangular but may be square, round or any otherdesired shape.

[0064]FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of electronics that may be usedto decode signals from touch screen 404 and to record and play messagesutilizing Digital Analog Storage Device 422, which may be a DAST asdescribed earlier. Logic element 410 may include a RISC processor suchas a PIC16C57 manufactured by Microchip, or it may be an FPGA (FieldProgrammable Gate Array) or any other logic element suitable fordecoding such switch arrays. Logic element 410 also includes play/recordswitch input 420. Play/record switch 420 is utilized to select whetherthe system operates in play-back mode (to play pre-recorded messages) orin record mode (to record and store messages). A plurality of messagesmay be stored in DAST 422. Coupled to DAST 422 are speaker 424,microphone 426 and battery/power supply 428, all of which may beconstructed and operate as described earlier.

[0065] Referring again to FIG. 7, picture 402 may include a plurality ofsubjects (e.g., persons), and may have a plurality of messagesassociated with the subjects. The messages may be recorded in such anembodiment by switching play/record switch 420 to the record positionand pressing touch screen 404 at a desired location associated with thenew message. The system then records the new message as it is input intomicrophone 426. With such an embodiment, messages may be positionallyassociated to desired or corresponding locations of the displayedpicture. The length of the message may vary depending upon how manymessages are stored in the system and the size of memory in DAST 422(which may be constructed to be of the desired size, etc.). A secondmessage may be recorded by touching a second area on touch screen 404and recording a second message associated with that particular portionof the picture. A third message and fourth message and so on may berecorded for different areas of the picture. Logic element 410, ineffect, records an address or pointer for each of the messages stored inDAST 422, and records or initiates playback by providing such address orpointer, along with any necessary control signals, to DAST 422. When allmessages have been recorded, play/record switch 420 may be switched tothe play position.

[0066] The system then plays a particular message whenever an area ofthe picture corresponding to that message is pressed by a user. Incertain embodiments, if a specific area is pressed and such specificarea does not have a message associated with it, the system plays nomessage. In other embodiments, the system may be programmed to play ageneric message (pre-recorded by the user as described above, such aswith a separate record switch or other implement to indicate a generic,or non-position specific message) for those areas that do not have aspecific message associated therewith. Such generic or non-positionspecific messages may be group greetings or the like.

[0067] In an alternate embodiment, transparent touch screen 404 isreplaced by a membrane switch panel of conventional design. Such amembrane switch panel position sensitive device may be located behindthe picture, and may have a plurality of switches covering the areawhere a picture or pictures are to be displayed. Such a membrane switchpanel may be decoded in a manner similar to the touch screen describedabove, and operated in a similar manner.

[0068] In yet another embodiment, transparent touch screen 404 isreplaced by a capacitive type “continuous” touch screen, as are known inthe art. What should be noted from the foregoing is that the type oftouch screen or matrix of switches is not critical for such embodiments,although different methods may present different considerations from aconstructional and cost point of view, etc. What is important is that apicture has a plurality of messages associated with it that can berecorded and subsequently played back by touching specific areas of thepicture, thereby enabling position-specific messages to be associatedwith particular portions of a displayed picture. As an example, apicture may contain a number of persons, and one or more messagesassociated with each person may be recorded and played back by touchingthat person. Other advantageous uses of such embodiments will beapparent to those skilled in the art.

[0069] In an additional embodiment, the system has limited voicerecognition capability, such as may be provided by voice recognitionunit 430 of FIG. 9 Voice recognition unit 430, which may be ofconventional design, receives an input from microphone 426. Signals frommicrophone 426 are input to voice recognition unit 430, which attemptsto find a match between the input signal and previously stored“commands” or “key words/phrases”, which are recorded in voicerecognition unit 430, using record command input 432. Record commandinput 432 is used to store in voice recognition unit 430 certain speechpatterns that may be recognized and used, for example, to initiateparticular message playback. For example, if a displayed picture (orpictures) includes several people, playback of a specific pre-recordedmessage associated with a particular person may be initiated by a voicecommand that is recognized by voice recognition unit 430. For example, amessage associated with a person in a displayed picture who is namedSusan may be played back by saying “hello Susan” for example. Uponrecognition of “hello Susan” by voice recognition unit 430, a messageassociated with Susan will be played through speaker 424, by way of acommand from voice recognition unit 430, which may be coupled to logicelement 410. Similarly, a message associated with “John” who may be inthe same picture may be played back by saying “hello John”. The storingof the command may occur prior to, or after, storing of the audiomessage associated with that command. Such a voice recognitionembodiment may be used with or without combination with a positionsensitive device such as touch screen 404.

[0070] In yet another embodiment, multiple messages are associated withspecific areas of the picture. In this embodiment, two or more messagesmay be associated with a particular positional area. The messages may bestored in a manner as previously described. The first time that an areaof a displayed picture or pictures is selected, the first message isrecorded. The second time that an area of the displayed picture orpictures is selected, the second message is recorded, and so on. Inplayback mode, the first time that an area is selected the first messageis played. The second time that the area is selected the second messageis played, and so on. A control input (not explicitly shown) coupled tologic element 410 may be used to controllably select or activate such amultiple message mode of operation.

[0071] Additionally, it will be understood that such additionalembodiments may be combined with previously described embodiments toprovide picture frames with associated audio message capability ofvarious desired functions and features, all in accordance with thepresent invention.

[0072] While the present invention has been described in terms ofpreferred and alternative embodiment, it will be obvious to one skilledin the art that many alternations and modifications may be made withoutsubstantially departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly,it is intended that all such alternations and modifications be includedin the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

[0073] Reference is made to copending application Ser. No. 08/617,708,filed Apr. 1, 1996, and its parent application Ser. No. 08/121,955, U.S.Pat. No. 5,504,836, and its parent application, Ser. No. 07/711,153,filed Jun. 6, 1991, now abandoned. This application is acontinuation-inpart of the foregoing applications.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus for displaying one or more pictures and forplaying audio messages associated with the one or more pictures,comprising: a frame for displaying the one or more pictures; an audiostorage circuit attached to the frame, wherein the audio storage circuitstores audio messages associated with the one or more pictures; aposition sensitive device attached to the frame and coupled to the audiostorage circuit for initiating the playing of audio messages stored inthe audio storage circuit, wherein position sensing device is positionedadjacent to the one or more pictures and senses a position of a usertouch; a speaker connected to the frame and coupled to the audio storagecircuit for playing the audio messages; and a control circuit coupled tothe audio storage circuit and the position sensitive device, wherein anaudio message associated with a particular position on the one or morepictures is played through the speaker in response to the positionsensitive device sensing that a user has touched the frame at a positionin proximity to the particular position on the one or more pictures. 2.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position sensitive devicecomprises a device selected from the group consisting of: a transparenttouch screen positioned over the one or more picture; a membrane switchpanel positioned under the one or more pictures; and a capacitive touchscreen positioned over the one or more pictures.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising an audio input circuit coupled to the audiostorage circuit and the position sensitive device, wherein one or moreaudio messages corresponding to one or more positions on the one or morepictures are recorded in the audio storage circuit by inputting theaudio message to the audio input circuit in response to the positionsensitive device sensing that a user has touched the frame at a positionin proximity to the one or more positions on the one or more pictures.4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio storage circuit stores aplurality of audio messages, wherein the control circuit comprises alogic circuit, wherein the logic circuit stores a pointer correspondingto each of the plurality of audio messages, wherein, in response to thetouching of the position sensitive device at a point in proximity to aposition corresponding to a particular audio message, the logic circuitprovides the pointer corresponding to the particular audio message tothe audio storage circuit, wherein in response thereto the particularaudio message is played through the speaker.
 5. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the audio storage circuit comprises a memory device selectedfrom the group consisting of: an analog memory; a digital memory; and adigital analog storage device.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein aplurality of audio messages are stored in the audio storage circuit,wherein each of the plurality of audio messages correspond to aparticular position on the one or more pictures, wherein a particularaudio message is played through the speaker in response to the positionsensitive device sensing a user touch at a position corresponding to theparticular position on the one or more pictures.
 7. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein a plurality of audio messages are stored in the audiostorage circuit, wherein the plurality of audio messages correspond to aparticular position on the one or more pictures, wherein a first one ofthe plurality of audio messages is played through the speaker inresponse to a first sensing of the position sensitive device of a usertouch at a position corresponding to the particular position on the oneor more pictures, wherein a second one of the plurality of audiomessages is played through the speaker in response to a second sensingof the position sensitive device of a user touch at a positioncorresponding to the particular position on the one or more pictures. 8.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio storage circuit storesposition sensitive audio messages that correspond to particularpositions on the one or more pictures and also stores a non-positionsensitive audio message that does not correspond to particular positionson the one or more pictures, wherein the non-position sensitive messageis played through the speaker in response to the position sensing devicesensing a user touch of a position that is not a particular position onthe one or more pictures.
 9. In a picture frame for displaying one ormore pictures and for storing one or more audio messages associated withone or more particular positions on the one or more pictures, thepicture frame also having a position sensitive device adjacent to theone or more pictures, a method comprising the steps of: storing a firstaudio message in an audio storage circuit, wherein the first audiomessage corresponds to a first particular position on the one or morepictures; sensing with the position sensitive device whether a user hastouched the picture frame at a point in proximity to the firstparticular position on the one or more pictures; and playing the firstaudio message through a speaker when the position sensitive device hassensed that the user has touched the picture frame at a point inproximity to the first particular position on the one or more pictures.10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first audio message is stored inthe audio storage circuit in response to the position sensitive devicesensing that a user has touched the picture frame at a point inproximity to the first particular position on the one or more picturesduring a time when the audio storage circuit operates in a record mode.11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of: storing asecond audio message in the audio storage circuit, wherein the secondaudio message corresponds to a second particular position on the one ormore pictures; sensing with the position sensitive device whether a userhas touched the picture frame at a point in proximity to the secondparticular position on the one or more pictures; and playing the secondaudio message through a speaker when the position sensitive device hassensed that the user has touched the picture frame at a point inproximity to the second particular position on the one or more pictures.12. The method of claim 9, wherein the position sensitive devicecomprises a device selected from the group consisting of: a transparenttouch screen positioned over the one or more picture; a membrane switchpanel positioned under the one or more pictures; and a capacitive touchscreen positioned over the one or more pictures.
 13. The method of claim9, wherein the audio storage circuit stores a plurality of audiomessages, wherein each message corresponds to a particular position onthe one or more pictures, wherein a pointer is associated with each ofthe plurality of audio messages, wherein, in response to the positionsensitive device sensing that a user has touched the picture frame at apoint in proximity to one of the particular positions on the one or morepictures, the pointer associated with the audio message that correspondsto the particular position is provided to the audio storage circuit,wherein, in response to the pointer being provided to the audio storagecircuit, the audio message that corresponds to the particular positionis played through the speaker.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein theaudio storage circuit comprises a memory device selected from the groupconsisting of: an analog memory; a digital memory; and a digital analogstorage device.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein a plurality of audiomessages are stored in the audio storage circuit, wherein each of theplurality of audio messages correspond to a particular position on theone or more pictures, wherein a particular audio message is playedthrough the speaker in response to the position sensitive device sensinga user touch at a position corresponding to the particular position onthe one or more pictures.
 16. The method of claim 9, wherein a pluralityof audio messages are stored in the audio storage circuit, wherein theplurality of audio messages correspond to a particular position on theone or more pictures, wherein a first one of the plurality of audiomessages is played through the speaker in response to a first sensing ofthe position sensitive device of a user touch at a positioncorresponding to the particular position on the one or more pictures,wherein a second one of the plurality of audio messages is playedthrough the speaker in response to a second sensing of the positionsensitive device of a user touch at a position corresponding to theparticular position on the one or more pictures.
 17. The method of claim9, wherein the audio storage circuit stores position sensitive audiomessages that correspond to particular positions on the one or morepictures and also stores a non-position sensitive audio message thatdoes not correspond to particular positions on the one or more pictures,wherein the non-position sensitive message is played through the speakerin response to the position sensing device sensing a user touch of aposition that is not a particular position on the one or more pictures.18. An apparatus for displaying one or more pictures and for playingaudio messages associated with the one or more pictures, comprising: aframe for displaying the one or more pictures; an audio storage circuitattached to the frame, wherein the audio storage circuit stores audiomessages associated with the one or more pictures; a voice recognitiondevice attached to the frame and coupled to the audio storage circuitfor initiating the playing of audio messages stored in the audio storagecircuit, wherein the voice recognition device senses audio commandsprovided by a user, wherein particular audio commands are associatedwith particular audio messages; a speaker connected to the frame andcoupled to the audio storage circuit for playing the audio messages; anda control circuit coupled to the audio storage circuit and the voicerecognition device, wherein an audio message associated with aparticular audio command is played through the speaker in response tothe voice recognition device sensing the particular audio command. 19.The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising an audio input circuitcoupled to the audio storage circuit and the voice recognition device,wherein one or more audio messages corresponding to one or more audiocommands are recorded in the audio storage circuit by inputting the oneor more audio messages to the audio input circuit and inputting one ormore audio commands to the voice recognition device, wherein the one ormore audio messages correspond to the one or more audio commands. 20.The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the audio storage circuit stores aplurality of audio messages, wherein the control circuit comprises alogic circuit, wherein the logic circuit stores a pointer correspondingto each of the plurality of audio messages, wherein, in response to thevoice recognition device sensing an audio command corresponding to aparticular audio message, the logic circuit provides the pointercorresponding to the particular audio message to the audio storagecircuit, wherein in response thereto the particular audio message isplayed through the speaker.
 21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theaudio storage circuit comprises a memory device selected from the groupconsisting of: an analog memory; a digital memory; and a digital analogstorage device.
 22. In a picture frame for displaying one or morepictures and for storing one or more audio messages associated with oneor more particular positions on the one or more pictures, the pictureframe also having a voice recognition device, a method comprising thesteps of: storing a first audio message in an audio storage circuit;storing a first audio command in the voice recognition device, whereinthe first audio command corresponds to the first audio message; sensingwith the voice recognition device whether a user has provided the firstaudio command; and playing the first audio message through a speakerwhen the voice recognition device has sensed that the user has providedthe first audio command.
 23. The method of claim 22, further comprisingthe steps of: storing a second audio message in the audio storagecircuit; storing a second audio command in the voice recognition device,wherein the second audio command corresponds to the second audiomessage; sensing with the voice recognition device whether a user hasprovided the second audio command; and playing the second audio messagethrough a speaker when the voice recognition device has sensed that theuser has provided the second audio command.